Purdue helps Indiana mayors, cities learn about working with China

February 7, 2011

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University is inviting Indiana mayors to participate in a workshop on Feb. 25 to learn more about China and economic development in Indiana.

"The Indiana Mayoral Roundtable on China will help the leaders of Indiana's cities learn more about China and how to better attract Chinese investment to their communities," said Wei Hong, professor and director of the Confucius Institute at Purdue. "The ties between China - the second largest economy in the world - and Indiana, which is rich in manufacturing, agriculture and technology-intensive sectors, continue to grow and are supported by the state with recent governor-led delegations.

"Purdue is home to a variety of resources and connections with China, and this is an opportunity for the university to share this information with Indiana communities."

Guoqiang Yang, consul general of the Consulate of the People's Republic of China to Chicago, will present the keynote speech that will focus on trends in Chinese investment in the Midwest. He also will share insights on how to attract Chinese companies to this region and overall in the United States. The event also will feature a panel discussion with Indiana mayors who traveled to China with Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2009 and 2010, a panel discussion featuring current Chinese investors in the Midwest, a presentation on Chinese language and cultural etiquettes in business, and an overview of Purdue's connections to China.

Purdue's enrollment includes 2,130 students from China, and the university has established a variety of long-term relationships with a number of institutions, organizations and companies in China, said Liping Cai, director of the China Center in Purdue's Office of International Programs. One of those partnerships is with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which is the partner institution of the Confucius Institute at Purdue. The institute is a collaboration among the colleges of Liberal Arts, Engineering and the Krannert School of Management. It is one of 350 Confucius institutes worldwide that are sponsored by the Chinese Language Council International to develop relationships and understanding between countries.